Colin Kaepernick chose not to vote in the 2016 presidential election because he did not believe in the candidates. And if the San Francisco 49ers quarterback did go to the polls, it would have been his first time ever exercising that right.
As Alexei Koseff of the Sacramento Bee discovered, Kaepernick is not registered to vote. He has not registered in California, where he grew up, at any point since he turned 18 back in 2005. Kaepernick also did not register from 2006 through 2010 while he was at the University of Nevada, meaning he chose not to vote in the 2008 or 2012 presidential elections when Barack Obama was elected.
When asked why he did not vote last Tuesday, Kaepernick said it would have been “hypocritical.”
“I said from the beginning I was against oppression, I was against the system of oppression,” he explained. “I’m not going to show support for that system. And to me, the oppressor isn’t going to allow you to vote your way out of your oppression.”
Kaepernick has never specified how long he has felt that way, so it’s possible his feelings about the United States government have been the same since he turned 18 and was eligible to vote.
Like another star NFL athlete, Kaepernick has taken a great deal of criticism for protesting the national anthem but not bothering to vote. The fact that the 29-year-old isn’t even registered will likely lead to more scrutiny.
